A fundamental need of investigators studying skin disease is to carry out a number of different molecular genetic technologies, including the ability to map, identify, and characterize genes involve in skin differentiation, skin development, skin damage, and skin disease. These analyses require both highly trained personnel with specialized expertise and access to specialized high-cost equipment, beyond what is typically available in most individual research laboratories. The UCAMC-SDRC Molecular Genetic Analysis Core provides investigators with the necessary expertise and tools for a variety of molecular genetic analyses, including small-scale and larger-scale, user-defined genotyping of polymorphic genetic markers, small-scale and large-scale DNA sequencing, RNA expression analyses, and data warehousing and analysis. Each of these technologies requires high-cost items of equipment and expertise, and the UCAMC-SDRC Molecular Genetic Analysis Core both provides in-house analyses as well as leverages access to several other existing on-campus core facilities that own and operate the equipment necessary for all of these technologies, to provide these services to UCAMC-SDCR members at discount pricing compared to either the unsubsidized cost of these services from these core labs or the cost of these services from commercial entities. Perhaps even more important than access to technology, the UCAMC-SDRC Molecular Genetic Analysis Core provides expertise to investigators in design and analysis of molecular genetic studies, and interpretation of results, so as to optimize use of valuable patient samples and resources to allow investigators to answer important research questions in skin disease.